Abstract
The main plant lipolytic enzymes discussed in this chapter are hydrolases that catalyze neutral lipids (non-polar lipids), that is, lipases or those hydrolyzing polar lipids, for example, phospholipases (A, C, and D) as well as those of related field like diacylglycerol kinases, lipoprotein lipases, lipid phosphate phosphatases, and lysophospholipases. This chapter provides generalities regarding some important aspects of plant lipolytic enzymes from either higher plants or algae, such as sources, reactions catalyzed, and specificities. Major issues for purification of plant enzymes with lipolytic activities are highlighted in this overview. New insights into implementation of relevant proteomic and lipidomic techniques to identify and characterize plant lipolytic enzymes with the aid of internet resources are also reviewed in this chapter.